Means for inserting valves in pipes.



D. F. OBRIEN.

MEANS FOR INSERTING VALVES IN PIPES.

APPLlCATlON FILED MAR. i2, |915.

1,174,342. Patented Mar. 7,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

'rms coLunmA PLANOGRAPH C0.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

D. F. OBRIEN.

MEANS FOR INSERTING vVALVES 1N PIPES.

ARPLCATION 'FlLED MAR. l2. 1915- 151745342. Patented Mar. 7,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'nm COLUMBIA PLANQURAPH $0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

eras

DENIS E. OBRIEN, OE EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

MEANS FOR INSERTING VALVES IN PIPES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Maint?, 1916.

y Application filed March 12, 1915. Serial No. 14,016.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, DENIS F. OBRIEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Grange, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for InsertingValves in Pipes, fully described and represented in the followingspecification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to improvements in means for inserting valves inpipes or mains.

The object of the invention is toprovide means which will make itpossible to insert a valve in a pipe or main while thelatter is underpressure, that is, without stopping the flow of water or other fluidthrough it.

lilith this general object in view, the invention consists in thefeatures, details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafterfully described in connection with the drawings, and then moreparticularly pointed out.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of anapparatus embodying the invention, the valve being ready for insertionin the main or pipe; Fig. 2 a detail longitudinal section showing thevalve inserted; Fig. 3 a transverse section on the line'S-B, Fig. 2;Fig. l a detail end View; Fig. 5 is a detail, transverse sectional viewwith the gate closed; Fig. 6 a detail view showing the connectionbetween the gate and its operating rod, and Fig` 7 a detail view of thehead at the top of the valve spindle. v

Referring to the drawings, the main or pipe, which is shown in itscondition after a piece has been cut therefrom, is indicated at l and 1,it being understood that at the commencement of operations this is oneconinuous pipe.

il suitable casing is provided whereby the pipe or main at the pointwhere the valve is to be inserted may be inclosed water tight. In orderthat this casing may be put in place it is made in sections arranged tobe bolted together around the pipe. In the present embodiment of theinvention, the casing comprises a bottom portion made in two parts, 2and 3, and a top portion or dome, 4, provided with ay cap 5, allsuitably secured together.

rl`he parts 2 and 3 of the bottom portion are joined in any suitablemanner along a plane substantially parallel to the axis of the main orpipe, but above the said axis. Thisjoint may be made, for example, byproviding the parts with flanges, as indicated at 6 and 7. These flangesare provided with registering slots, and to one part, as, for example,the part 2, are pivotally attached a plurality of shackle bolts 8, eachof which is arranged to swing up into the corresponding registeringslots of the flanges. The bolts are provided with the usual nuts, whichwhen screwed down will hold the parts 2 and Stogether.

rIhe bottom portion, comprising the two parts 2 and 3, as abovedescribed, has a circularv opening at each end considerably larger thanthe main or pipe to be cut, and

Varound such opening is an outwardly extending thimble as indicated at3a. To each thimble is detachably secured a stuffing box 9, which ismade of two parts bolted together around the pipe, as will be clear fromFig. 3. Each stuffing box has a grooved rabbet to receive suitablepacking, as indicated at 10, Fig. 1.

For the purpose of lightness and strength the bottom section may have aportion indicatedfat 11 made 'of sheet metal such as boiler-plateriveted in place as shown.

il sliding sleeve 12 is provided, this sleeve being made in two partsarranged to be boltedtogether around the pipe, as by providing each partwith flanges, the corresponding flanges of the two parts being boltedtogether, as will beV clear from Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The sleeve 12 has an internal annular recess arranged to receive asuitable elastic packing material, as indicated at 18, Fig. 2, where awater tight connection may be maintained between the sleeve andpipewhile at the same time longitudinal movement of the sleeve along thepipe will be permitted. The outer end of the sleeve 12 is provided witha recess at 14, Fig. 2, whose outer wall is grooved, this recess beingintended to receive a final packing or calking of any usual kind, whenthe valve` has been inserted in the main and the casing removed. Thesleeve 12 is also provided with radially extending lugs, as indicated at15, arranged to form a connection for suitable sleeve moving devices. Inthe present example the means for moving the sleeve longitudinallycomprises a plurality of rods, two being shown, as indicated at 16,Figs. l and 3, each rod having a head 17 arranged to enter a recess inthe corresponding lug 15 of the sleeve. Each rod 16 extends voutwardthrough a stuffing box in the end of the bottom portion of the casing,as is indicated at 18, Fig. 1. The end of each rod is arranged to engagea suitable means for moving said rods. In the present example, the meansfor moving the rodslcomprise means for forcing said rods inward, and isshown as comprising an abutment ring '19, formed of two halves bolted tothe pipe, and screw jacks 20, whose loose ends are cupped to rest onprojections 21 extending from the abutment ring 19. The jack screws haveheads 22 cupped to receive 'the ends of the respective rods 16, theseheads being loosely mounted on the jack screws so thatthe latter may berotated while'the 'heads are'stationary. The ends ofthe'rods`16areformed as removable heads 23, screw-threaded tothe rods andprovided with a polygonal portion for engagement by a suitable wrench,whereby the heads may be unscrewed, to permit 'the removal of the rodsfrom their respective stufling boxes.

rlihe top portion or dome 4 of the casing'is removably secured to thebottom portion in any suitable way, as, forexample, by means of slottedflanges 24 and shackle bolts 25, such as hereinbefore described asconstituting the means for securing together the parts 2 and 8 of thebottom yportion of the casing. Between the top and bottom portions ofthe casing,'a gate or cut-off is provided whereby the interior of thetop portion may be shut off from'the interior of the bottom portion.

rIhe gate constitutes an important feature of the present invention. Itis constructed to be opened and closed from the outside of the casing,and is capable of movement in two directions, that is to say,longitudinally and also transversely, as more fully explainedhereinafter. Inthe present invention, a seat 26 is carried by theinterior wall ofthe casing, against which the gate 27 closes tightly.rllhe gate is mounted to slide longitudinally in grooves in the casing,`and is provided with inclined surfaces on its bottom, both at the frontend and, alongeach side near the center and the rear end, as indicatedat 28, 28 and 29, Fig. 1. rlhe incline 28 is arranged to engage inclinedabutment blocks 30, Figs. 1 and 5, secured to the interior of the casingat one end. nclines 28 and 29 ofthe gate are arranged to engage therespective inclined portions 31a and 31b of track bars 31 secured toeach side of the casing, the machine-portions 31b being farther downfrom the gate than are the machines 81a. The inclines 29 extend farther`down from the gate 'than' do the inclines 28.

`When ther-'gate is drawn b'aclr to its open position, itsl sides'reston Ithe bottom of'the grooves while the plane of the seat-engag- B11 ofthe track bars 31, respectively, and

thereby the gate is lifted toward and into contact with lits seat.

For the purposes of moving the gate longitudinally and attthe same timepermitting the transverse movement toward and from its seat, a stem orspindle 32 is provided, this spindle extending outward through astuffing box 33 in the casing. rThe outer end may be provided with ahandle 34. The inner end of the stem or spindle 32 is so connected tothe gate as to permit the required transverse movement ofthe latter. Forthis purpose the inner end of the spindle 32 has a lshaped head 35andthe bottom of the gate at its front end is provided with acorresponding T-shaped slot, whose depth is greater than Vthe verticaldimension of the spindle head.

A by-pass 36 is provided around the gate, this by-pass being controlledby a cock 37.

rlhe side walls of the top portion 4 are provided with suitable' guidemechanism, as, for example, the guide ribs indicated at 3S, Fig. 3. Thebottom of the casing has a guide member 39. The valve 40 is providedwith means for engaging the guide ribs 38. In the present example, thevalve has at each side a pair of outwardly-extending lugs 41 (Fig. 5)arranged to receive the'corresponding rib between them. Also the bottomof the valve has a downwardly-extending guide member 42 arranged tocoact with the guide member 39 at the bottom of the casing, as bygrooving the upper member 42 and taperingthe lower member 39 to fit it.

The cap 5 of the dome is detachably connected to the dome by suitablemeans, as, for example, by flange or bolt connections which may be ofthe lrind hereinbefore described for the union of the dome and bottomportion of the casing. The cap is provided with two stu'liing boxes,one, 43, advantageously arranged near or at the center of the cap, andthe other, 44, at one side thereof. Above the central stuffing box 43is-placed a hollow post 45. On top of the post is placed a nut 47,provided with. suitable means for rotating it, as, for example, thehandles 46. Through this nut may be threaded a valve-operating spindle48, which is screw-threaded a considerable distance downward from itsupper end, the latter being squared,'as shown in Fig. 1, in order that-it `may be held against rotation by means of a wrench. A secondoperating spindle, 49, may be passed throughthe stufiing'box 44, as whenactuating the cutting lr'ne'chanism'whichis preferably of the typeshownin 'Patent No. 587 ,091.

As this second spindle 49 must be rotated, it is provided atrits upperend with a bevel `gear 50 arranged to mesh with another bevel gear 51mounted on a shaft 52 journaled at the `top end of a standard 51acarried by the cap 5. The shaft 52 has a squared outer end for thereception of a hand crank (not shown) and also is provided with aratchet-wheel 53 engaged by a pawl 54 mounted on the standard, so thatthe operating shaft will not be accidentally rotated in a backwarddirection.

The valve-operating spindle 48 is connected by a suitable universalconnection to the valve stem 55 of the valve which is to be inserted inthe main or pipe. ferredv embodiment of the invention, the universalconnection comprises links 56 pivotally connected at each end to heads57, 58,

f respectively, each head being provided with a threaded bolt portionarranged to be threaded into holes in the ends, respectively, of thevalve-operating spindle 48. and of the valve stem 55.

The valve body is provided at each end with hubs, one of which,indicated at 61, is intended to engage the end 1a of the cut pipe. Theother hub 62 is of larger diameter and intended to engage the end of thesleeve.

Each hub is provided with a suitable packing device, as the gaskets,indicated at 63, 64, respectively, and has its interior provided withwedge-shaped lugs 65, which serve to center the pipe and sleeve endsrespectively, and to hold in place the gaskets 63 and 64. Thesecentering devices are an important feature of the invention.

The operation of the mechanism is as fol- ?mvs: The sleeve, 12, isbolted around the pipe, at the proper place. A suitable pipe cuttingdevice, such, for example, as that shown in said Patent No. 587,091, ismounted around the pipe or main at the place where the valve is to beinserted. The cutting mechanism is operated until the pipe is cut partlythrough, whereupon` the bottom portion of the casing, comprising the twoparts 2 and 3, is secured in place, inclosing the sleeve and the cuttingmechanism. Gate 27 being opened, a supporting spindle is passed throughthe central stufiing box 43 of the dome and its end secured to thecenter of the cutting apparatus. The rotary operating spindle 49 ispassed through the side stuffing boX of the dome and its end attached tothe operating shaft of the cutting mechanism. VThe dome is then slippedinto place, and secured water-tight to the casing by means of theshackle bolts 25. The abutment ring 19 is put in place, and then thecutting mechanism is operated furtherl to complete the cutting of thepipe by rotating the operating spindle through the bevel gears and shaft52. As soon as the pipe section has been cut o', the cutting mechanism,and with it the cut section of the pipe, are

In the preelevated into the dome of the apparatus by rotating the hollowpost 45, whereby the supporting spindle is drawn upward, thus liftingthe cutting mechanism and pipe section into the dome. Thereupon the gate27 is closed by pushing in the rod 32. Itwill be noted that this gate isfree to move longitudinally until nearly opposite its seat, andthereafter, by further inward movenient of the rod 32, the gate rides upthe respective inclines on the track lbars 31 and abutment blocks 30, sothat finally the gate firmly contacts with its seat. As the seat isabove the gate, any pressure of water in the bottom portion of thecasing will tend to hold the gate to its seat. The by-pass cock 37 isturned to shut oif the connection between the bottom and top portions ofthe casing, and thereafter the dome may be detached and the cuttingmechanism with the cut pipesection removed. The rotary operating spindle49 is removed from the dome and cap, and the opening through which itpasses is closed by a plug. The valve is then put in place in the dome,its projecting lugs 41 engaging the guide ribs 38. The valve stem' 55 isattached to the links 56 at the lower end of the operating spindle 48,and the dome replaced on the bottom portion of the casing. The by-pass36 is then opened by turning the cock 37, thus admitting water to thedome and balancing the pressure on the gate 27. 4The gate may then beopened by pulling outward on the rod 32, whereupon the valve may then belowered into position at the cut in the pipe by rotating the hollow post45. Substantially at the time when the lugs 41 on the valve body leavethe guide ribs 38, the lower guide member 42 of the valve engages thecorresponding guide member 39 on the bottom of the casing. ment of thevalve body with the main or pipe. The jack screws 20 may then be put inplace between the abutment ring 19 and the rods 16, and operated to pushthe rods 16 inward, whereby the sleeve 12 is forced int-o the large hub62 on the valve and into contact with the packing ring 64, beingsuitably guided and centered by the lugs 65, inside the hub 62. Furthermovement inward of the rods 16 slides the valve toward the section 1KLof the pipe, the end of 'this section being received in the hub 61 ofthe valve, and centered by the corresponding lugs 65 therein. By meansof the jack screws, the valve is pushed tightly against the end 1L ofthe pipe, so that the packing rings 63 and 64 are both firmlycompressed. In this condition, no further water can leak This insuresthe proper alinefrom the main into the casing, and the dome ise movedfrom the pipe andthe outer end of the sleeve l2 may be packed and calkedin the usual manner.

In Fig. 7 is illustr'ated a head 59 provided with a squared socket whichreceives the squared end ot the valve spindle and is secured thereto bya machine screw 50. This head has a squared portion to receive astandard key used for operating the valve.

It will be noted that by the present construction tlie casing may beused on mains or pipes of different sizes by the use of interchangeablestuiiig boxes at each end of the bottom portion of the casing of suchsize as to suit the pipe to be cut. Furthermore, owing to the peculiarlconstruction of the valve body, the valves, although of difitereiitsizes, may be provided with laterally extending lugs ot dililerentlengths for the diiierent sizes ot valves to engage the guide ribs andwith downward iro ectin uide members ot' such length as always to engagethe coacting guide member at the bottoni of the casing when the valve isproperly alined with the pipe.

Owing to the fact that the bottom portion of the easing is divided intotwo parts in a plane above the axis of the pipe, the rods 16 may engagethe sleeve l2 on opposite sides,ot a diameter of the sleeve, so that astraight push on the sleeve is possible and all canting action avoided.

l/Vhat is claimed is:

1. In a valve-inserting mechanism, the combination, with a casing havinga bottom portion arranged to be secured about the pipe or main, saidbottom portion being provided with a downward facing seat, said bottomportion having a stutling box, ot a rod extending through said stutlingbox and having its end inside said stuiiing box provided with a head, agate movable longitudinally in the casing and arranged to come oppositesaid seat, said gate being provided with guides engaging the head onsaid rod whereby a movement of the gate transverse to the rod ispermitted while a longitudinal movement of the rod produces alongitudinal movement of the gate, said gate also having inclinedportions, and inclined members carried by the casing and arranged toengage the inclined portions of the gate to torce the latter against theseat, substantially as described.

2. In a valve-inserting mechanism, the combination, with a casing havinga bottom portion arranged to be secured to the. pipe or main, saidbottom portion comprisingtwo parts joined along a plane above the axisof the pipe, a sleeve arranged to be secured to the pipe wholly withinthe casing, and

C op

sleeve-operating rods passing through the ends of the lower part of thebottoinportion and arranged to engage the sleeve.

3. In a valve-inserting mechanism, the combination, with a casing havinga bottom portion and a dome, of guide mechanism inside said dome, and avalve having a casing provided with lugs arranged to engage said guidemechanism.

4. In a valve-inserting mechanism, the combination, with a casing havinga bottom portion, a guide member in said bottoni portion, and a valvehaving a casing provided with a guide member arranged to coact with theguide member of the casing.

5. In a valve-inserting mechanism, the combination with a casingooinprising a bottom portion, and a dome, of guide mechanism in saiddome, a guide member inside the bottom of the casing, a valve having aeasing provided with means for engaging the guide mechanism in the domeand with a guide member arranged to coact with the guide member at thebottoni of the casing, means for lowering the valve and its casing whileguided by the guide mechanism, and means for moving the valve and itscasing transversely7 when the said guide members are in engagement.

6. In a valve-inserting mechanism, the combination, with a casing, asleeve arranged wholly within the casing and longitudinally movable onthe pipe, stu'tling boxes at one end oi2 the casing, rods passingthrough said stutling boxes and engaging the sleeve, an abutment devicearranged to be secured to the pipe outside the casing, and meansarranged to react against the abutment device to Ytorce the rods inward,whereby the sleeve is moved.

7. In a valve-inserting mechanism, the combination with a casingarranged to surround the pipeand inclose its out ends, ot a sleevewholly within the casing and sui'- rounding one end o't.' the cut pipe,a valve casing having hubs arranged to engage the end or' said sleeveand the opposite end ot' the pipe, said hubs having internalwedgesliaped lugs :tor centering the sleeve and the said Opposite pipeend, and means operable from the exterior yof the casing for pushing thesleeve into one valve casing hub and the other valve casing hub ontosaid opposite pipe end.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

DENIS F. OBRIEN.

Witnessesz A.. VHiTE, J. F. DONOVAN.

ies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, vby addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

